


Subtle

by aurorae



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 23:43:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5605528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurorae/pseuds/aurorae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alphys has someone help her with Mettaton’s repairs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Subtle

Alphys felt faint of heart when a visitor suddenly phased through the walls of her laboratory. Her guest seemed lost, or, at least, she presumed as much as they gave a slow, visual sweep of their surroundings. The ghost absently touched its head, glanced at the floor, and then abruptly phased through the walls again to return to the outside.

Alphys blinked. Their unexpected visitor left so soon.

She blinked a second time to assure herself that her exhaustion was not conjuring some fatigue-induced mirage. She rubbed her eyes, and since the ghost had not return, she returned to the company of her machines. Instead of dawdling any longer, Alphys reasoned that she might as well get started on those re-

There was a soft knock, which echoed from the metal door.

Alphys furrowed her brows bemusedly, then opened the entrance to the lab and fixed her gaze on the ghost hovering by the doorway. This time, however, there was a pair of thick, bulky headphones fastened to their head. In a small voice, the ghost greeted her, “…Hello…”

Alphys returned the greeting, her enunciation was drawled by her confusion. “Uhm…Hi?” A long-drawn pause stretched between them, and she began to fidget. She cleared her throat, then stepped aside and provided them inexplicit permission to enter.

They were not much of a talker, but then again, neither was she—unless the conversation steered into a deep in-depth analysis of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie and the series’ subpar sequel, but she knows that was a conversation usually reserved for the human and Mettaton—but she was able to gather their name and the purpose of their visit. She was intrigued, to say the least: Mettaton had seldom spoken of his family, much less the skittish ghost, who was trailing behind her from a distance.

She offered a crooked smile, and wordlessly guided them through a corridor. They told her they watched the fanfare between the human and Mettaton over the looming fate of the monsters trapped below the Surface. Alphys averted her eyes and released a defeated sigh – she _needed_ to repair Mettaton, at least to preoccupy her time enough from Asgore’s impending defeat.

When she mentioned repairing Mettaton’s limbless body, Napstablook twiddled their nubbed hands together. “…If it doesn’t slow you down…Can…I help…?”

Her eyes widened behind her circular spectacles. “Oh, um…sure? I mean, it, uh, it won’t! It won’t slow me down at all! I just—uhm, h-how about you come in?” Alphys tried to disregard her blatant, nervous splutter by entering the key code to the workshop and hastily shuffling inside.

Pieces of machinery scraps and tools littered the area, and while Alphys apologized for the disarray, Napstablook apologized for having _her_ apologize to them.

At that moment, she wondered why Mettaton had never mentioned Napstablook before.

Regardless, Alphys wanted to push her limits and repair the robot in the span of a day. She acknowledged that some sort of unfortunate news may reach the Underground, whether it be the death of the human or the death of Asgore. Mettaton may be outlandishly theatrical, but she found comfort and reassurance in his presence, even in the bleakest hour.

The sooner she could hear him exclaim her name, which would be followed with his usual endearments, the easier she could ease her frazzled nerves. With her new temporary helper, she called to Napstablook to collect the items she requested.

When she announced to them that she was going to step out to weld the joints of Mettaton’s arms together in another room, Napstablook nodded and remained with their cousin. She stepped out several times, and at one point, she even received their input to coat the exterior of his chest plate and boots a darker shade of pink rather than her choice of a bright, flashier tone.

“It suits him more,” they said, but then fibbed their apology for suggesting something that would hinder her progress.

Alphys smiled, then waved her hand to dismiss the apology. She fetched a bucket of magenta, and when she asked them for their approval, she received their polite nod and began filling the scuffs on his chest plate.

She had not realized when Mettaton’s lower lip was glossed with a swipe of pink lipstick, or when his disheveled hair was primed and brushed.

Alphys decided she would watch the playback of the surveillance tape once Mettaton awoke.

After welding his limbs to his body, she fiddled with the wires to secure the new batteries that would reanimate him to life again, but before she carried out the intention to set the batteries into the empty socket, Napstablook meekly interjected.

There was a rag between their stubby hands. “Before Mettaton wakes up,” they began, and hovered beside the chamber of his torso. They did not readdress their request, but rather fiddled with the hem of the rag, as if they struggled to search for the right words without imposing.

Alphys was stumped for a brief moment, but then, as realization dawned over her, she beamed, “Oh…! You want to polish his heart?” She thought about it, then nodded. “Go ahead! Just, ah, just be careful with some of the circuits in there.”

Alphys stopped to discreetly observe them. She was filled with awe to witness the extent of their visible devotion and fondness as they glossed the floating organ to a lustrous shine.

When they were done, Napstablook thanked Alphys for her time. They said it would be best if they were not present when he awoke, and before she could ask why, they phased through the workshop.

Their headphones did not disappear as they did when they passed through the wall, but after a minute of waiting, Alphys assumed Napstablook would rather abandon their headphones than linger any longer, considering shortly after, Mettaton’s eyes had fluttered open.

He was disoriented at first, his heart-shaped pupils were out of focus, but after he regained full functionality of his limbs and bodily receptors, he then joined Alphys for a much needed bonding time.

* * *

Alphys called Mettaton into the laboratory’s surveillance room later that day, and as he grabbed a seat, she rewinded the playback of the workshop’s recording.

Mettaton shot the screen a horrified grimace. “My beautiful, beautiful hair! Was it that terribly messy when I arrived?” He gave her a deadpanned look, his voice as serious as grave. “Did anybody _see_ me in such an unflattering state? _Did anybody take a picture_.”

Alphys snorted. “No pictures, but there was someone around.”

A look of horror crossed his face.

“It was someone you know, actually!”

Mettaton’s frown initially hardened, but as he shifted his gaze from the scientist to the screen, he uttered a gasp as Napstablook appeared within the frame of the surveillance camera, who was handing a toolbox to Alphys.

“Blooky?! What—how— _oh no_ , my pumpkin saw me at my worst! Someone like moi is always supposed to be dazzling, gorgeous, radiant!” He pointed an accusatory finger at the monitor. “And I was not _any_  of those, Alphys! How will I ever show myself to them now?!” he cried melodramatically.

“Your hair wasn’t that bad,” she tried.

“You’re right, it’s _horrendous!_ ”

This was not working out the way she planned. She fast forwarded the recording to include the segments that she was not present for, and when she noticed Napstablook touching the tips of his hair in the video, she tapped Mettaton’s shoulder to regain his attention.

The monitor displayed Napstablook looking around the room, and for a moment, he disappeared, but then reappeared into the frame with a scrap of metal with prongs to work as a makeshift comb. The ghost tended to the knots and tattered layers patiently, and demonstrated enough dedication to part his fringes to the side and pat down the black locks of flyaway hair.

While it was not the perfect touch-up, he did not look as ‘horrendous’ as he did a few moments ago.

The feed was interrupted by Alphys’ return with the welded arms, but she left again soon after to gather his legs and weld the pieces together.

Napstablook took the time to rifle through the room. For a long period of time, they were absent from the frame, and before Alphys could fast-forward the video again, Napstablook returned with a small tube of lipstick.

Mettaton paused the video and looked at Alphys, who, in response, regarded him with a nervous laugh. She experimented with lipstick sometimes, but before he could pose any more questions, she resumed the video’s playback.

On the monitor, Napstablook affectionately ruffled the crest of Mettaton’s head, then hovered close to his face to apply the lipstick over his lower lip. They colored beyond his lip line on one side, and would not rest until they could correct their mistake.

Alphys had returned to the workshop minutes after they were done applying his makeup.

The video was skipped to the part where Napstablook suggested for a newer shade of pink to color his body, then the video was skipped again to the finishing repairs of his battery replacement and his heart getting wiped cleaned.

Alphys snickered as she saw Mettaton shift on the chair and bury his face in one hand, while his other hand traced around his lips, and from her angle, she could see his faint, but hidden, warm smile. From the speakers of his chest, his accelerated heart rate thumped aloud in a mingled feeling of evident embarrassment and happiness.

He swiped his wrists against his eyes.

Alphys quirked her head to the side and offered a soft, happy smile. It was the first time she had ever seen his pink irises, which ordinarily glistened with excitement under his studio’s spotlights, become glassy as his pink irises reflected the monitor.

She opened a cabinet and handed his cousin’s headphones over. “This would be a good enough excuse to visit, right?”

He sat upright, his arms withdrawing to his sides, and did not respond at first. He hesitated, but then plucked the headphones from her hands and clutched it close to the chamber of his heart. “It would be, wouldn’t it?” he grinned.

Mettaton watched the conclusion of the tape, and throughout the video, he never once tore his gaze away from Napstablook.

**Author's Note:**

> happy new years yall


End file.
